Domino
by Please submit your
Summary: "Bella, you and I need to talk." - Everything you do, every choice you make...it's like a domino being knocked over. By itself, it doesn't seem like much, but when surrounded by other dominos, it affects everything. Eventual Dean/Bella.
1. Chapter 1

**So here's another Bella/Dean story. I'd like to think it's more thought out than my previous one, and consequently shall be my (haha, only) finished story. The rest, as you may know (whether I told you or you guessed, I'm unsure) are on a temporary hiatus. I jumped the gun with those ones, but this story is relatively framed and has a strong structure. I have really big plans for this one.**

**And it's MUCH more logical. The timelines are perfectly coincided, to (hopefully) the last detail. I'm hoping you enjoy.**

**Please read and critique. As I check it over, my writing seems sub-par, so another set of eyes and some feedback would be lovely.**

**Have a nice day. :)**

_Domino_

"Bella, you and I need to talk."

The trying events of today and the day before, and the injury I was currently trying to hide from him, made me slightly irritated at Charlie's beckoning as I walked in the door. I heard the low purr of Edward's Volvo as he swerved away, refusing to stay with me tonight, only adding to my salty mood. I tried to stay positive, remembering that after our talk, I could go upstairs and play with my new photo album.

"Yeah, sure Dad," I called back. I shrugged on my jacket once again, to ensure my wound stayed hidden. While I'd already fabricated a suitable lie, I could tell he didn't completely believe me, and I preferred to keep the bandages out of his sight and—hopefully—out of his mind.

He gave me a curious look as he spotted the coat. It wasn't particularly cold outside, and Charlie was the type of guy to always have the heat running. "I've got the chills," I explained, even though I felt like I was going to catch on fire from being so hot.

I perched on the couch, eager to get out of here and in my room, but Charlie's solemn look had me sitting back against the cushions. Had someone died? Was there a tragedy? His look seemed to hold serious news, and I couldn't think of anything else that would urge Charlie to want to talk. We weren't the 'chat about your day over dinner' type of family.

"Bella…" he sighed. "You know me. I try to be pretty honest with you. But there's some things about us…about you…that I haven't told you. A lot of things. Now that you're an adult, I think it's best you know."

His words confused and intrigued me. However, they left me feeling scared. There were few things my parents took effort in keeping from me, and anything that they had must have been big. I tried to ready myself for what he would say. Although, after a few minutes of silence, I looked up from my fixation on the floor to see my pose mirrored. He seemed to be searching the wood beneath his feet for words.

Feeling my eyes, his own snapped up. He gave me a slight grin, which was rare for me to see, and said, "Just don't know where to start."

I smiled back. "Try the beginning, Dad."

His grin fell. "Bella…your grandparents aren't dead. Your mom and I have siblings. A lot of what we've told you isn't the truth."

I sucked in a breath and held it. I'd long ago accepted that I had no one to bring to school on grandparent's day, and didn't have an aunt, uncle, or cousin to go visit. But I guess I had. I just hadn't known, because they'd kept it from me? That didn't make sense. Why would they do that? Was there something bad in the family? Something worth keeping secret?

"Your mom's dad married my aunt. That's how we met. We were fifteen and we fell in love. But we weren't…we weren't happy with our family. So we ran away. We don't know where your family is now, but we think they're still alive."

I smiled. This wasn't bad news. It wasn't really going to affect me. I started for my room. "Bella, no. I'm not done. I'm not even close."

His voice stayed as morose as it started, and I sat back down. I cleared my face of emotion and opted to just let him tell me, no matter how slow the story was.

"We came here, where we thought we wouldn't be found. For a while it was alright, but then we found out your mom…she couldn't reproduce." He gave me a hard look, like he wanted me to understand something, but I couldn't accept what he'd said. They'd reproduced. They'd had me.

"Bella…I wanna say this gentle, you know, but I don't know how. We adopted you. We wanted a little girl and we saw you and…well, here we are." He was gruff with his delivery, and I felt the urge to laugh. That was preposterous! I couldn't have been adopted. No. "We still love you, and this doesn't change anything, but we thought you should know."

"But…" I began to protest, but I knew Charlie wouldn't make this up. He would never pull a joke like that. I felt coldness creep into my bones. Suddenly, I was thankful for my jacket.

"Do you know who my real parents are?" I received a borderline mischievous look as he grabbed a yellow folder I hadn't noticed before from the table and held it out to me. I grabbed it and opened it up to see papers littered with pictures, addresses, names. I looked up to Charlie in awe.

"You know your mom. She wanted to know whose you were. She didn't leave it alone until she found them. William and Ellen Harvelle. We were amazed because we…we recognized the name."

My throat felt like closing as foreboding made my hair stand on end. Charlie's tone sounded as if some more big news was coming. Wasn't this enough? How could there be more?

"We come from a strange family, Bella. An ancient bloodline. There are four other families like ours—now only one. Your mom and I are the last of the Swans, we think, and we've stopped dealing with the…the family business. There's one more family out there that I know of, the big family, and as far as I know, they're still in business. They're the Winchesters." I wanted to sarcastically point out that _apparently_ I wasn't a part of that bloodline, but I refrained, trying to keep my composure. My thoughts went hazy. Winchester. Wasn't that a gun? I gulped and shut my eyes, feeling cold needles prickle all over me. "What's the family business?" My lips felt numb. This was a lot to take in.

"We were hunters, Bella. A long time ago our ancestors looked in dark places for dark things, then destroyed them. Your Edward, for instance." He paused and gave me a cold, intense gaze. I hadn't ever felt ashamed in front of Charlie, but something in the look he gave me made my cheeks turn red and my eyes fall to the floor in embarrassment. But what about Edward? Hunters? What was special about hunters?

"I don't know what he is, Bella, but I know he's not human."

The cold feeling intensified, and my heart halted in my chest. He knew? He knew about the Cullens? Had he known all this time?

"H—hunters? Of what?" I opted to ignore what he'd said about Edward.

"Ghosts, demons, werewolves, vampires, to name a few." Jasper's snarling face flashed in my mind.

I wanted to laugh, call him nuts, and go to bed. But I knew I couldn't. He knew, he knew about Edward, and he most likely knew that I knew. I couldn't pretend to not believe him, or laugh it off. But there was something bothering me…well, everything was bothering me. But something specific. He had said that they destroyed these creatures. Edward was indestructible. That was how vampires were. But Charlie had said he didn't know what Edward was. So had he never seen a vampire?

"You've…you've killed all of these things? Ghosts?" He nodded. "Demons?" Again, a slow nod. "Vampires?" I received yet another nod. "But you _can't_ kill vampires! Humans can't!" My outburst was unexpected, to both him and I, and I clapped a hand over my mouth in surprise.

His eyebrows rose. "So you did know Edward wasn't human? And he has you believing he's a vampire?" There was a twitch of his lips in dry humor.

"Well…yeah," I responded lamely.

"Bells, vampires are easy to kill. Like I said, after seeing all of what the Cullens can do, I know they aren't vampires. I just don't know what they _are_, and I really don't care. They keep Forks safe as long as they're here, and they don't hurt anyone. As long as it stays that way, I don't really need to know."

I swallowed hard. "What about Mom? Does she know?"

His eyes fell, once again, to the floor. "Yeah, like I said, her dad married my aunt. She grew up a hunter too. But we wanted to start a family, to get away from the life, so we ran away and got married. I conned my way into a job and she stayed home with you."

I ignored the part about conning into a job and asked a pressing question. "Why did mom leave?"

I'd asked before, but I'd never gotten a straight answer. Instead I got reassurances that no matter what, they still loved me. Not _why _they no longer loved each other—well, why Renee no longer loved Charlie, because being honest, Charlie had never gotten over her—or what had caused it.

He sighed. "We'd left hunting. Came here, built a house—but when you were about six months, there were some weird things going on. Electrical storms, blackouts…signs of a demon, and a big one too. I didn't realize it until another hunter burst into our house…" he trailed off, his voice growing raspy. Shock bolted through me like lightning as tears rolled down his cheeks. "I don't know why to this day, Bella, but there was a demon in your room. This hunter tried to stop it, but it ran off and left you there, blood in your mouth. We got to talking, and he said that it killed his wife and set his house on fire…we couldn't figure out why, or what it was up to, but I let him stay for a while. Me and your mom argued like no other—she wanted to give up the life for good, and so did I, but she wanted me to throw him out. He mighta saved you, Bella. I couldn't kick him out on the streets, especially not when he had kids."

He paused. The pause was long and stagnant, and I let the information digest. It was hard to fathom—I'd accepted vampires…or whatever the Cullens were…but all of this? It was impossible. However, I knew it wasn't. This was no joke—Charlie wouldn't do that to me.

"That was the only time a Swan and a Winchester came together. We'd always been aware of each other, but never anything more than civil. It didn't last long, though. Renee left and took you, and John moved on to another job." He seemed to be finished at last, and I bit my lip in concentration, trying to order my thoughts. However, what startled me was that they were clear. I understood everything—it was shocking, but not confusing. Somehow, it made sense. And now it was calling to me.

I was doomed the moment I picked up that yellow folder. As I looked at it, a longing washed over me, and I knew what I had to do. School, Edward, Charlie—that didn't matter. I had to see.

"Dad…Charlie…you said the name was familiar?"

He smiled at me. "Irving's Town, a few miles north of Kearny in central Nebraska, a bar called Harvelle's Roadhouse. I've got some cash you can use."

I smiled back. Love swelled inside me. He wasn't my biological father, and he'd been absent much of my life, but I loved Charlie. "Thank you. I just need to meet them. Something inside me needs to know…" I looked away, my smile fading.

"Just watch out. They don't get a particularly friendly crowd in there."

"No problem."

III

The phone seemed to ring forever. He sounded surprised when he answered at last, "Bella?"

"Hello Carlisle," I responded slowly. "I need help. I know you have to have some connections with the airports, or someone with a plane, right?"

There was a brief, silent pause. My heart beat faster. Had he hung up on me? "I do. Can I ask why you're asking?"

"I…I need to catch a flight to Nebraska. As soon as possible."

Again, there was a pause. "Does Edward know?"

"No," I rushed. "No…I won't be gone long, but I haven't told him yet. Do you think you could tell him to come over for me, please?"

"He's not with you?" he sounded surprised.

His answer confused me. Edward said his family needed him at home. "He's not. I thought he went home?"

"No, we haven't seen him."

A cold hand touched my shoulder, and I yelped in surprise. Edward was not a foot away, to my left, just as silent as he had been since my disastrous birthday party the day before. I sighed in relief. "Never mind Carlisle, he's right here. Can you still help me with that issue?"

"Of course, Bella. I'll begin making calls."

"Thank you," I responded, hanging up and turning toward Edward. His expression was pained. My heart dropped.

"You've been here the whole time, haven't you?"

"Charlie has known all this time?"

I licked my lips. "It seems like it," was my eloquent response.

"You're going to leave," he was emotionless, in a monotone, as he said it.

I looked up at him. His face was blank, but carefully so, as if he was hiding from me. "Only for a little while, I'll be back and we…"

"Isabella…" he began. He knew I hated my full name. My reprimand died on my lips, however, as he stepped back, toward my open window. "Now seems to be the perfect time to tell you that we, too, are leaving."

I smiled. "That would be great. I need someone to help me greet them." But I realized how bad of an idea that was. "No, if Charlie knew them, then they're probably…hunters…too. They'll know you're not human."

"I never said we were going _with you_."

A small chuckle slipped from my lips. "What are you talking about? Where else would you go?"

"We need to move on, Bella. Carlisle is supposed to be in his thirties, and people are beginning to question. We can no longer stay in Forks."

I took this in quietly, eyes trained on the floor. I yearned to look up, but I feared that blank look I'd been receiving all day. "Okay. Where?"

"You will not come with us." Each word was blunt, precise, and hurtful.

"What do you…?"

"I _mean_, Isabella, that this has gone on for far too long. I am not human, and you and I do not belong together."

I scoffed. Of everything I'd heard tonight, _this_ definitely did not make sense. "What are you talking about?" It clicked a moment later, as his blank gaze stayed silent and trained on me. "This is about yesterday, isn't it? Edward, that was nothing. Nothing even happened. I'm fine!" I felt panic growing inside me, spreading through my body like a disease.

"It's not about what happened, but what could have. You could have died. You don't deserve that."

"Edward, it's my decision." I stood straighter, hoping to emphasize my point. "I want you, no matter what."

"I do not want you," he said slowly, as if he was hoping for me to understand. And, sadly, I did. I'd known all along that I didn't deserve Edward. I knew from the beginning.

And yet…it didn't hurt as much as I expected. I felt numbness start to tingle in my toes, along with an itch to pack my things and leave. Something was pulling me toward Nebraska. I had to get answers. At best, I felt mildly annoyed at his stubbornness.

"Edward," I also spoke slowly, hoping to make _him_ understand. "I love you. I want you. You're saying this to protect my soul—but I don't want a soul, not if I have to give you up to keep it. I'll gladly give it to you…as soon as I get back."

I knew, somewhere deep inside, that I should have been devastated. I had the feeling that I would be. But at the present time, I could only hope to get to Nebraska. My heart leapt when my phone buzzed.

"Hello?"

"Bella," I sighed with relief at Carlisle's voice. "Will a midnight flight do?"

I smiled. "When?"

"Tonight."

"Thank you!" My smile grew ever wider. "Carlisle, that's perfect!"

"I'm only glad you're happy," he responded sincerely. I glanced at the clock—it was about six. "It's been paid for. Just tell them your name and you'll be escorted onto the plane. No security checks."

I gasped in surprise, and delight. I always hated the wait. "Is that possible?"

I could hear the smile in his voice, and an underlying meaning to the words, "When you're a Cullen, Bella, anything is possible. Goodbye."

"Bye, Carlisle." I hung up the phone, turning back to Edward, only to find him gone.

**I made up Irving's Town, for the sake of placing the Roadhouse somewhere. It's widely speculated that it's in central Nebraska, so I went with Kearny, which is in the middle of the southern half of the state.**

**I can clear up anything that you're wondering about, unless I plan to reveal it later on, in which case I will simply tell you so. Thanks for reading! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**So…I'm blushing…I accidentally uploaded my draft of the next chapter in place of this one. That was a real dummy move…hope you can forgive me and backtrack a little. At first I was confused when I received a confused review, but then I scrolled through my story and laughed at my own idiocy.**

**So two chapters in one day, because I'm not going to take down the other, even though it was just a draft. I hope that's reason enough not to hate me, lol. I'm such an idiot. -_-**

**Um…I just can't get over how stupid I feel…sorry guys… :P**

The airport was almost a fun place to be without all the stress of making it through security and somehow getting on the plane on time. It was interesting to watch the people around me. The actual plane, however, was another story. It wasn't that it wasn't comfortable—Carlisle had done more than simply pay for a flight. He'd made sure He bought out the seats around me, so I had the whole first class to myself. It was pretty amazing, actually.

It was when I got myself settled, iPod in hand, that it came crashing down on me.

Edward was leaving. He was taking his family with him. He didn't want me.

The words he had said came flooding back without that pull toward Nebraska to fend them off. I was well on my way, and there was no turning back, so I supposed the itch to leave had vanished now that I _was_ leaving.

The whole plane ride I leaned back, trying to sleep, but I couldn't. Edward's smooth voice wouldn't leave me alone, tormenting me with his hurtful words. Would he really leave? When I came back to Forks, would he just be gone? Surely it was just a joke. But Edward would never joke, not about that.

Upon landing, I was let off the plane with smiles and orders to fly with them again. I ignored them, taking my bags from the handy guy who happened to have them waiting for me, and flipped my phone out. I dialed the Cullen house.

There was no answer.

_Okay. That's not that bad. They could be hunting._ I tried Edward.

_"This customer is no longer available…"_

Hanging up, more panicked now, I punched in Carlisle's number.

_"This customer is no longer available…"_

After a moment of contemplation, and some shameful tear-fighting, I dialed Alice's number.

_"This customer is no longer available. The number may be disconnected or…"_

I hung up. That was no coincidence. I looked down, my eyes clouding over with tears.

For a moment, I stood in place, shaking, trying to keep the sobs at bay. I managed to pull myself together, taking a deep breath and trying to decide what to do. In the end, the answer was obvious. I was alone in Kearny airport. I had no choice but to find my family…my real family.

Sucking up the tears, I made my way out of the door. I'd intended to call a cab, but it seemed Carlisle had taken matters into his own hands. A tall older man held a sign with my name on it. I made my way to him. "I'm Isabella."

"Swan?" I nodded, fishing my I.D. out of my purse. He smiled at me warmly. "The Cullens are good customers of our company. Please," he said, gesturing toward the car behind him and opening the back seat for me. I remembered the failed phone calls and hung my head.

I gave him an apologetic smile. "Would it be okay if I just…rode up front?"

"Sure, of course! Let me take this!" Truthfully, I only had two bags. I'd felt that the one bag I had filled had been pretty pathetic, so I'd grabbed a few photos and trinkets to show my biological parents when I got there. They were light as air, and the man gave me a curious look when he took them. I made sure he was far enough away before opening the door for myself.

"Is there anything I can do to make your ride more pleasurable?" he asked upon climbing into the car. I shook my head in response. "Alrighty, where to miss?"

"Harvelle's Roadhouse, Irving's Town."

He chuckled a bit. "Sure can do. How weird you'd wanna get there."

"Weird?"

He smiled, weaving expertly out of the terminal traffic. "Oh it's nothin'. Just there's another frequent customer of ours named Bela. She also visits the Roadhouse. They get some good clientele that place, sure do."

The car ride continued in silence, my driver humming lightly to himself, seeming oblivious of the world around him aside from the occasional jerks of the wheel to turn. I gazed out the window at the barren wasteland of desert, feeling nostalgic at the similarities to Arizona. The moon was high in the sky, making the sand turn silver in the night. Truthfully, it would have been more beautiful had I not been so exhausted.

Emotionally, I felt spent. While I had only had a quick, shallow taste of what was sure to come, I could feel the devastation creeping in and settling over me. I could only hope that it was all a coincidence, or a dream, and that soon enough I would be in Edward's arms again.

As I thought over my current situation and brought myself away from thinking about the future, I felt something else begin to take hold of me—panic. I hadn't really thought this through. I'd simply assumed I would knock on the door and be received with open arms. What if they gave me away because they hated me? What if they were psychos, and I'd gotten away as a child and was crawling right back into the lion's den? What if they refused to believe that I was their daughter?

It was all doubtful. I had proof of the adoption, and my parents—Charlie and Renee, that is—had known the Harvelles somehow, so surely they were mentally sound enough. I was worried over nothing.

That was the battle I had with myself until arriving. My driver had been very good at his job, and I thanked him with a generous tip; rushing out after him when he tried to carry my bags up the porch steps. "I'll take these," I breathed, and he only nodded and left. I waved goodbye to him in a feeble attempt to stall for time.

Finally, though, he was out of sight, and I had no other option left. Alone in the chilly desert, I looked toward the building.

It was rickety, made of wood and obviously well worn. The neon sign on top had a flickering V, but otherwise looked pretty in shape. It was surrounded by a few cars, but not too many. I could hear music inside, a song I vaguely recognized as something Renee had played once or twice. I took a deep breath and trekked across the parking lot and up to the door. My heart beat in my ears as I looked through the screen. Pool tables in the back, a bar up front, and two doors on the far wall. People were scattered around, and my heart went into overdrive as I saw weapons laid upon tables, guns being taken apart and cleaned, and a pair of rowdy men looking about to fight.

I thought about turning around and running, but I knew that I couldn't. Nebraska must have had different laws than Washington, that was all—nothing to worry about. I sucked in a breath and held it as I walked through the door.

The bar got eerily quiet, eyes settling on me as if I was the ants at a picnic. The next few lines of the song were easily heard, as I stood in place and let them just examine me. That was until I heard a woman's voice next to me bellow, "Alright, show's over. Ain't never seen a girl before? Get to what you were doin' now, y'hear?"

I swiveled to my right, meeting warm brown eyes and a kind smile. The woman had a weathered face, but seemed motherly, and she looked at me as if…well, as if I was her own daughter. I swallowed air in an attempt to say something.

She beat me to it, "Hello darlin'. Lost? Need a soda? On the house." She stuck out a can, her hands wet and sudsy from cleaning, and I took it gratefully. Suddenly, I was parched.

"No, I'm not lost," I said upon cracking the can open and taking a drink. "I came here to see the owners of this place."

She smiled. "Well there's only one owner sweet pea, and you're lookin' at her. I'm Ellen Harvelle. You?"

The time had come. My fingers trembled, and I nearly dropped my coke. "I'm…I'm Bella Swan. I need to talk to you." She tensed at those words.

"A Swan, huh? Haven't had any of your kind in a while. You workin' a job?"

I bit my lip in confusion, trying to figure out what a job was. "A job?"

She stared at me blankly. "Maybe you're a little young. Got any folks with you?"

"No. That's why I came. I need to talk to you and William." The look on her face made me want to suck my words back in.

"William died a while ago, hun." Her voice was much more forced, and I wanted to insert my foot into my mouth right then and there. Instead, though, I gulped and gathered my wits, knowing that I needed to suck it up and continue.

"I'm so sorry, Ellen. I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine, Bella. How's about you just tell me why you're here then. What'cha need to talk about?"

The bar had gotten louder since Ellen had intervened, and I found it safe enough to proceed. I felt it was pretty low of me to do it here, but I had no other choice. I needed to say it now. "I'm…I'm your daughter."

She laughed in response, which wasn't what I was expecting at all. "Daughter? I only got one. Jo!" She turned and called back toward the bar, where another young woman was standing, cleaning a glass and eyeing us. She came over, wiping her hands on an apron around her hips. "_This_ is my daughter Jo, Bella. I think you're mistaken."

"It's nice to meet you," I said, sticking my hand out toward her. I wasn't normally one for handshakes, but it seemed appropriate with the look she was giving me. As if she was analyzing me, not yet thinking bad of me but on the edge of it. She hummed noncommittally in response, taking my hand briefly and letting go.

I turned to Ellen, "Ellen…I'm not mistaken. I have the papers right here." As I fished through the folder I'd been carrying, I berated myself for having so little tact. But she just looked intrigued as I pulled out the adoption papers, the research files, and the letters from the adoption agency. She looked at all of them with mild skepticism before reaching a hand written letter. Her face fell, eyes tearing up as she read it.

"Bill wrote this…" she said. "I could recognize his handwriting a mile away…" She paused and read for a moment. Jo stared at me suspiciously, and I had the feeling she didn't yet get what we were talking about. "We had to write letters confirming that we were willing to give up the baby…is it…" Ellen paused and looked up at me, her eyes still cloudy. "Is it really you?"

I could only nod, stuck frozen as she went to hug me, but thought better of it and patted my shoulder. She leaned against the wall, blowing out a long breath of air. "Wait!" Jo interjected, the look on her face telling me she had connected the dots. "What baby?" she asked, her voice wavering.

Ellen sighed. "You know about our life kid? About the hunters?" she asked me. Again, I simply nodded, fidgeting in place.

She laughed. "Figures you'd go to a Swan. All that pain givin' you up caused, and look what good it did ya." She shook her head and went towards the bar. Jo followed, and I trailed behind awkwardly, taking a seat at the very end, where Ellen was pouring a drink into a stout glass. She gulped it down, still chuckling cynically. "Just figures."

"Mom," Jo barked, leaning over me and grabbing Ellen's wrist as she raised her refilled glass to her lips. "Mom, what's going on? Who is she?" She turned to me. "Who are you?"

"I'm…" I trailed off, not sure how to say it. I'd barely been able to break the news to Ellen, who seemed much more laid back than her daughter…than my sister.

"She's your baby sister. The one we told you died," Ellen's voice betrayed no emotion as she yanked out of Jo's now feeble grip, gulping down another drink.

"The one that died?" Jo sounded dumbstruck as she echoed her mother's words. My mother's. Our mother's.

"Well, that's what you thought," Ellen said dryly. She let out a long sigh and rubbed her temples. "So what're you doin' here, Bella?"

My reason for coming made less sense now that I had two sets of eyes staring me down in question. "I…I just turned eighteen yesterday, and my dad—I mean, well, you know—he told me about you guys, about how they adopted me. I needed to come…and…see you." It sounded pretty pathetic in the end, and I focused on a drop of water on the bar to hide my flaming cheeks.

Silence reigned between us for a moment, an odd contrast to the continuing bustle of the crowd. I felt out of place and stupid. This had never been a good idea. What had made me think they would open their arms and accept me? They needed time to think over this. Jo's face was shocked, appalled even, and Ellen stared into her empty glass as if it was the only thing she could see.

Though all of this was true; though I should have left, I didn't know where anything was and I didn't have a way to get there. My bags were lying near the door, forgotten until now.

"Well," Ellen said soberly, "There's a room in back you can use. Grab your bags. You look tired."

With her words, exhaustion pulled my eyelids downward. "Jo, get some sheets." Jo's answer was a hard look, before slamming her fist on the bar and stomping away.

I walked quickly to my bags and rejoined Ellen at the bar. She looked me up and down. "How long you planning on stayin', kid?"

"I don't know," I answered. Suddenly, I remembered the messages I'd gotten upon calling the Cullens. "…I don't know."

She eyed me oddly, before turning around and leading me through one of the doors toward the far back. There was a cramped hall that I shimmied my bags down before turning left into a room that was only slightly smaller than the one I had at home. Everything was made of wood, well worn, and had chipped paint. Aside from that, it was cozy.

I stayed out of Jo's way as she angrily beat the sheets and pillow onto the bed, slamming a lamp onto the table and walking past us, seething. I vaguely wondered why she was so mad, but that was a stupid question. It was hard news to swallow, suddenly having a sister. I wasn't angry with her at all, but I was shocked by her presence. She had a right to react, I guess.

As Ellen left to find Jo, I sat down on the bed, my bags at my feet. There was a dresser Ellen had welcomed me to use, but I didn't have the stamina or the will to get up and put anything away. There were things running through my head that I didn't want to, but knew I would have to face.

However, as I stretched out on the bed, still in my jeans and jacket, I fell asleep the moment my eyes closed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey thar. So here's the next chapter for ya.**

**Also, to joe-damonfan, you make an interesting point and I'll have to consider it, however I can't make any promises because I have most of the chapters already framed out! Though I do promise to try and squeeze in a little action for Bella at one point, a little later. :P**

**To Dark-Supernatural-Angel, the Cullens exact species—vampire or otherwise—will be told later on, but I'm glad you asked! And everyone is their normal ages for this story, as the timelines actually line up pretty nicely.**

**Right now, even though there is no Winchester action (YET!) the ages are:**

**Bella: 18**

**Jo: 21**

**Sam: 22**

**Dean: 26**

**The setting for this chapter is September 15th – 16th, 2005.**

**So don't worry, there isn't a GINORMOUS age gap or anything. 8 years isn't so bad. :P**

**Good day guys. :D**

The next morning, I awoke only moments before there was a knock on my door. I didn't answer, hoping to fall back asleep, but Jo burst into my room. She went to the dresser. I sat up and watched her pull out a few pairs of jeans and shirts. She glanced at me once, her lips in a hard line. I continued to watch her as she slammed the drawers, turning and stopping before me. She stuffed the bundle of clothes under her elbow, cocking a hip and staring at me angrily. "What? You have something to say?"

I shook my head slowly in response, and she left, slamming the door so hard it shook my bed. I sighed, rubbing my eyes and scrubbing my face, running my hands through my hair in a crude comb. I was up now.

I slipped off my shirt and grabbed a baggier one, throwing my jacket and worn clothes into the bag. I headed out into the bar.

No one was there yet, and Ellen looked up from the bar, where she was cutting limes. She squinted at me. "There's some breakfast in the nook. Ash, show her."

A man I had yet to notice made me yelp as he shouted, "Aye aye, cap'n." He got up and came over to me. "And who is this?" he asked.

I swallowed my dry mouth. "Bella."

He stood up straighter, lopsided grin on his face. "Oh, so you're the—"

"Ash!" Ellen barked.

Wordlessly, he turned on his heel and went through a door on the side of the bar. It led to a small kitchen, where Jo was now, wiping counters. I had the feeling she saw us, or heard us at least, but she didn't acknowledge us. Ash continued undaunted, going through another door to a small room with a dining table and a few eclectic chairs. There was a set plate of eggs and toast, with a glass of milk.

He pointed to it. "That there's for you. TV is on if you want it. I'll be in the bar if you need me." He gave me a wink, and somehow I had the feeling it wasn't suggestive, but more of how Ash was. He walked back the way he'd come.

On the table was a roll of paper towels, which I used to wrap my food in. I felt queasy at the sight and smell of it. I rushed the bundled eggs to the trashcan. As I threw them in, a voice from the other end of the room made me jump. "Well ain't that a waste?"

I swiveled and looked at Jo, whose features had softened. She looked me up and down. "My sister, huh? Weird. All this time I thought you were dead." She chortled without humor, and I looked to the floor in shame. It wasn't my fault, but I felt responsible nonetheless.

She sighed as she sat in the chair farthest from me. I stayed where I was. It was silent as she watched the table and I watched her. She broke it without looking up at me. "They gave you up, not me. Wonder why."

"I don't know," I responded awkwardly. It had crossed my mind, but I buried the thoughts for later.

"I ain't mad at you, if that's what you're thinkin'. I was just shocked is all. But I'm being dumb. Ain't your fault, right?" She looked up at me and smiled.

I smiled back faintly. "I hope not."

She got up. "Well, I gotta go help prep. You can…chill here I guess."

"Can I help?" I asked, stepping forward.

She raised a dark eyebrow, studying me with pursed lips. "Well why not. There's gotta be somethin' you can do, right?"

"Right," I breathed in response. It dawned on me as she gave me a small, genuine smile before walking through the door that this was my sister. My blood…I'd always been an only child.

Eagerly, like a puppy, I followed.

Ellen put me to work cleaning and organizing glasses. She had a place for everything, very orderly, and I looked around as I did my job. I felt her eyes on me, however, as I did so. She audibly set down a glass, and I looked over at her. She leaned her elbow on the bar. "Just why are you here, Bella? What made you wanna come see us?"

It was a good question. I just didn't know how to answer it. Could I accurately describe the pull I felt toward this place? No, I doubted it. It was like something else was telling me, whispering in my ear to come here. "I needed to meet you. I never knew about you, or about hunting, before any of this. I had to see."

She started. "You didn't know about hunting. You sure you're a Swan?" I thought back to Charlie's words about the Swans being an ancient bloodline of hunters. Wryly, I smiled.

"Actually, I'm sure I'm not."

She rolled her eyes, but chuckled despite herself. "You know what I mean."

I pursed my lips for a moment before shaking my head. "I guess my parents stopped hunting and settled down. That's when they adopted me." After thinking everything over, it was no longer so hard to say it all.

"Swans not hunting? Wow. Who'da thunk, huh?" She smiled to herself and picked up her glass once again, wiping the ring of water it had created and continuing to dry it.

We resumed working in silence, until I interrupted. "Ellen, what're those?"

She looked to where I pointed. Along the wall, near what I recognized as a police scanner, was a bundle of cream envelopes. She put her glass away and went to them, sticking them out toward me. I flipped through the various pages of newspaper clippings, autopsy and police reports, various files and pictures. Words were highlighted occasionally, and at the back of each were handwritten notes.

"Files I've gotten together. Hunters who need jobs will come in here from time to time, and I'll give them one."

"A job…" I bit my lip, remembering her question the from the night before. "Is that what hunters do? When they hunt something?"

"Yep. Track it and kill it. That's a job."

I nodded, absorbing this silently.

As the night went on, the bar filled. However, the crowd started off as families and travelers, no one that looked remotely like the people I'd seen the day before. Soon, though, Ellen put a sign on the door that had the travelers filing out and the hunters filing in. Once again they had guns and other weapons lying about, talking and laughing with each other. The darts were getting put to good use, and I sat at the end of the bar, just watching and listening to the music.

"Bella," Jo came up to me. "Look, I got a few games lined up here and mom can't take care of the whole place alone when it's this busy. Think you can waitress?"

I'd never done it before, but she gave me a pleading look, and I had felt stupid sitting alone and in silence, sipping a glass of water. I acquiesced easily, nodding and offering a slight smile. She handed me her tray and order pad, as well as her apron. I slung it on my hips as she had, grabbing the tray and listening as she told me which tables needed what, who was who, and where to go for everything.

She'd actually set everyone up with what they needed, so I just had to sit back and watch for any low drinks. That was, until a man walked in. He had a long trench coat, a bowler hat that covered his face, and a limp. He went to the farthest, darkest corner, and I waited for him to settle in. However, I realized that he wasn't going to take off his jacket or hat, despite the heat that had me in a thin tank top and Capri's. I went over to him.

"Welcome to Harvelle's, is there anything you need?" I smiled pleasantly.

He didn't look at me as he answered, "Cheapest beer you got."

"Yes sir," I responded, turning around and going to Ellen. I whispered to her as she mixed a drink, "What is the cheapest beer we have?"

She gave me a strange look. "Why?" Her eyebrows rose at my apron and tray.

I just gave a sideways glance to Jo, who was laughing as she scraped together a large pile of money. The men around her scowled, rubbed their temples, or threw their cards down on the table in anger. Ellen just rolled her eyes, reaching under the bar and handing me a Coors. "If it's that guy in the coat, then here."

I wondered briefly how she knew, but just shrugged and took it to him. He politely thanked me, which I hadn't thought he would do, and I replied with an "Anytime." Another table needed to be tended to, so I walked over and smiled as I asked if they needed more.

The night went fast. People left, some tipping small and others just stiffing me completely. It was then that I understood why Jo gambled. This job sure didn't bring anything in.

I wasn't upset, however. The numbness I had throughout the night was refreshing to the thoughts trying to invade my mind. While working, I turned into a robot, mechanically going about my duties, but never thinking beyond the moment, and certainly not feeling anything. I couldn't recall a single thing I did at the end of the night.

I sprayed bleach on the last table, wiping it down. All I had left was to sweep, but Jo appeared, telling me she would take care of it, and handing me a ten for doing her job on short notice. I tried to give it back, but she walked away stubbornly and swept the floor, ignoring me as I tried to call her to take back her money.

"So honey, ready to eat?" Ellen patted my shoulder as she took the spray bottle from me. My stomach rumbled on cue.

"I'd love to," I responded.

Ash turned out to be the cook, and we gathered at the table to eat. I took the only open seat across from Ellen. For a moment she just stared at me—but her gaze was not on me. It was through me, looking at something I had a feeling I wouldn't see if I tried.

She snapped out of her reverie and dug in without a word. I did the same, inhaling my food, only barely noticing how wonderfully prepared it was. I finished first, starved, and I sat back as the rest ate their meal. I hadn't realized they were speaking quietly, kindly allowing me to make a pig of myself. I blushed.

I listened without really listening to their conversation, interrupting when a small lull came about. "Ash, how do you cook so well? I've been cooking all my life and I couldn't do this if I tried."

He grinned, but Jo answered. "Ash is a genius. He can do a lot of things. Cooking is just one of them." I wanted to laugh, but I didn't doubt it. There were _obviously_ stranger things than a shaggy looking rocker with a mullet being a genius. In fact, it was probably the most

"Wow," I responded.

The night progressed with Ellen going to her room, Ash going to play pool alone, and Jo watching television. I briefly wanted to join her, but decided against it. I called goodnight and went out to the bar.

"Goodnight Ash," I said as I went toward the room assigned to me. Suddenly, there was something I needed to do.

"'Night," he murmured, distracted by the obstacle course he'd set up with bottles and emptied cans upon the pool table.

I went to my room and shut the door. There was a lock, and I itched to turn it, but that would be rude. Instead, I leaned back against the door and slid to a sitting position, pulling out my phone and flipping it open.

I made nine total calls. The first was to Charlie.

"Hello?" his voice told me I just woke him up. It was then that I remembered how late the bar closed.

"Dad," I responded.

"Bells!" his answer was more alert now. "How are you? Did you make it okay?"

Tears, for some reason, filled my eyes. My lip trembled and nose burned as I looked toward the bags at the foot of my bed. Homesickness washed over me, and I thought of the calls that awaited me. I hoped they didn't end how I thought they would.

"I'm fine."

"That's good." He paused, chuckling slightly. "That's real good, Bella. How are things? How'd it go? How's Ellen and Bill?"

I ignored the part about Bill. "They're fine. They were shocked, but everybody is fine now. It's going good."

"That's good." Silence followed, a typical Swan conversation, and I chuckled morosely.

"Dad, I have to go."

"Alright Bells. You stay safe." That was his I love you, I knew.

"Okay. You too."

The next call was hard to make. I dialed the number and hit the clear button twice before getting up and going to the bed. I laid back against the headboard and held my breath as I dialed and hit send.

_"This customer is no longer available…"_

This happened to me seven more times. Each cell was gone, the house line disconnected. My chest felt as if it was being crushed, and the tears began to fall. I hunched forward, flinging my legs over the side of the bed and cradling my face in my hands.

It couldn't be. Edward was just upset about my birthday. It was supposed to be an empty threat. _This just isn't happening…_

"Bella? Hey, I never got to say goodnight…" Ellen's voice stopped as my door creaked open. She stayed where she was, observing as I sucked in my tears and wiped my eyes. "You alright?" her voice was soft.

"Fine," I replied, hoping to save face.

She crossed the room quickly, sitting a foot away on the bed. She sighed. "I don't know you, Bella. I don't know you like I know Jo." She paused. _Well that helps, _I thought bitterly.

"I don't know how your mind works. I don't know what you've been through. I don't know your favorite food, or your type of style, or the story of your first kiss. But, you're still my daughter. All this time, I've been missing you. Even though I gave you up, I missed you. It _was_ like you died, but I knew you were somewhere better, and that kept me goin'. Musta been harder on poor ol' Bill…"

Again, she paused, and I looked up and into her eyes. They were warm, glistening. "I'm here for you, sweetie. You need a place to stay, you got one. Need a shoulder to cry on, you got one. Need someone to kick some ass, you got one." She smiled and I chuckled lightly.

_A place to stay…_

She left silently, giving me a last, lingering smile as she shut the door. With that thought, I laid back and fell asleep, once again in my clothes and phone in hand.


End file.
